UCLA Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Personnel

DATE:  July 10, 2025
FROM:  Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs & Personnel Michael S. Levine

RE:  Faculty Retirement Liaison Transition 

Dear Colleagues:

Professor Emeritus David Lopez stepped down as UCLA’s first Faculty Retirement Liaison on June 30, 2025, after ten years in the role of promoting the emeriti faculty's involvement in research, teaching, and service. Professor Emerita Rosina Becerra has been appointed to succeed him effective July 1, 2025 and brings highly relevant experience to this role.

Professor Emerita Rosina Becerra retired in 2016, after 41 years in the Department of Social Welfare in the School of Public Affairs. Her field of research focused on Child and Family Polices. In addition to many federally and State funded research projects, she was the Principal Investigator of the State of California Study on Welfare Reform (1992-1997) as well as the statewide study on Child Support (1998-2002). Her administrative positions have included Department Chair, Associate Dean, and, Dean and Vice Provost of Faculty Diversity and Development.

Since retirement, Rosina has served on numerous university and academic senate committees, as well as the Chair of the Department of Spanish & Portuguese (2018-2021), and the President of the Emeriti Association. Currently, Rosina serves as the Faculty Development Liaison to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Personnel.

As the Faculty Retirement Liaison, Professor Emerita Becerra’s role will be to serve as an advisor and advocate for faculty members who are considering retirement, as well as those who have already retired. She will help Academic Senate faculty members develop Pathways to Retirement agreements with their department chairs. She will help all retiring faculty navigate the University’s general retirement process and coordinate it with their individual pre- and post-retirement plans. She will work semi-autonomously from the Academic Affairs & Personnel Office, and all her discussions with individual faculty members are confidential. She will oversee the Pathways to Retirement Program and The Path Forward: Faculty Planning for Retirement Workshops. 

As Faculty Retirement Liaison, Rosina will be available to Academic Senate Faculty throughout campus by email (rbecerra@ucla.edu) and by phone at 310-206-9379. 

The University deeply appreciates the outstanding service Professor Emeritus David Lopez has provided to our many retiring faculty over these ten years.  He has been instrumental in implementing our Pathways to Retirement Program as well as codifying policies affecting emeriti.  Thank you, David.